Robert De Niro’s daughter-in-law sued for discrimination

Robert De Niro’s daughter-in-law is accused of racial discrimination against her one-time nanny, creating a ‘hostile work environment’ which was ‘permeated with intimidation, ridicule and insult.’

The allegations were brought against the Oscar winner’s daughter-in-law, Claudine De Niro, 40, in lawsuit papers exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.

Former nanny Linda Williams added her name to an existing wage dispute lawsuit in August and brought with her a string of new shocking discrimination claims.

According to Williams, who was employed in the De Niro’s Manhattan household in 2014, Claudine told her: ‘I wouldn’t have hired you if I had known you were black.’

Claudine is married to Raphael De Niro, whose mother Diahnne Abbott is African-American, which would mean her three children with Raphael are partially black.

Claudine was already being sued by her former domestic worker Thais Dilazary, who filed suit six months ago, claiming the mother had withheld wages and failed to pay her overtime despite working close to 60 hours a week.

Claudine De Niro, Robert De Niro’s daughter-in-law, is accused of racial discrimination by her former nanny, who joined a wage dispute lawsuit against the 40-year-old. The nanny claims that Claudine told her: ‘I wouldn’t have hired you if I had known you were black’

Claudine is married to Raphael De Niro, whose mother Diahnne Abbott is African-American, which would mean her three children with Raphael are partially black. Pictured: The couple and their three children, Nicholas, nine, Alexandria, eight and Ella Rose, six

The lawsuit claims that Claudine created a ‘hostile work environment…permeated with intimidation, ridicule and insult.’

Claudine also allegedly informed Williams that her family, ‘never had a black nanny.’

At the time of the comment, Claudine was still happily married to De Niro’s son, Raphael, 40, whose stepmother and mother are both African-American.

The couple married in 2008 when both were 31 and working together as associate brokers at Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York in a sales unit called the De Niro Group.

They have three children, Nicholas, nine, Alexandria, eight and Ella Rose, six, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes nearly three years ago.

But earlier this year, Raphael filed for divorce from his wife of nearly a decade.

In May he made it very clear that he had moved on when he attended the premiere of his father’s HBO movie, ‘Wizard of Lies,’ a biopic of Bernie Madoff, with his new love, fashion stylist Hannah Carnes.

Claudine’s father-in-law is Robert De Niro. The famed actor was married to Raphael’s mother Diahnne Abbott and divorced her in 1988 (pictured together in 1977)

In a very public blow to De Niro’s daughter-in-law, the legal complaint has depicted Claudine as an abusive and vindictive boss who insulted her staff, stiffed them for wages and retaliated when they complained. Pictured: De Niro with current wife Grace Hightower, who is also black

After Bell Family Employment Agency, the nanny’s employment agency, noted that Claudine ‘has a high rate of [staff] turnover due to the treatment of employees, including nannies, housekeepers and domestic workers’, she tweeted she wanted a new agency in July (pictured)

Now, in a further very public blow to the mother of his three children, the excoriating new legal complaint has depicted her as an abusive and vindictive boss who insulted her staff, stiffed them for wages and retaliated when they complained.

Accuser Thais Dilazary, who was employed as a domestic worker by Claudine between October 2012 and March 2013, does not state how much she was paid.

The lawsuit only claims she regularly worked between 10 and 17 hours more than her basic 40-hour week and never received any overtime.

Williams has also asserted that her age – listed only as ‘above 40’ in the suit – was also a point of contention.

She claims that Claudine told her, ‘My kids don’t like old nannies’ before asking how old she was.

Claudine allegedly said to the nanny, ‘my kids don’t like old nannies’ before asking how old she was before firing her a month later

The lawsuit claims that Claudine created a ‘hostile work environment…permeated with intimidation, ridicule and insult’

When Williams sought to complain about underpayment, she claims that Claudine fired her after just one month, despite having contracted her to work for one year.

Claudine is then alleged to have gone onto make ‘false statements’ about the nanny and housekeeper to her employment agency. The nature of these statements is not given.

But in a damning aside, Bell Family Employment Agency, allegedly noted that Claudine ‘has a high rate of [staff] turnover due to the treatment of employees, including nannies, housekeepers and domestic workers.’

This claim seems not to have gone down well with Claudine. On July 11 she tweeted that she was ‘Looking for an au pair agency.’

Three days later, on July 14, she tweeted that she was, ‘looking for a reading tutor.’

After the alleged discriminatory comment, Raphael separated from Claudine the next year, 2015, and has recently filed for divorce. Pictured: Raphael and mother Diahnne Abbott in 1988

One comment

This is ridiculous. Claudine is not a racist by any mean!!! Of course when you’re rich and famous you become an easy target. This women is a great mother and awesome friend. Her best friends are African American. Hilarious!!!!!

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